Ever wished your Chinese sentences could spotlight what happened to an object — like “close the door,” “put your phone away,” or “hand me the paper”? That’s exactly what the 把 (bǎ) construction does. In this lesson, you’ll learn when and how to use 把, the kinds of complements that make it natural, and how to negate it politely. We’ll practice along the way so you can start using 把 in everyday conversations.

What is the 把 construction?

The 把 sentence highlights the result or effect that an action has on an object. Think: dispose, move, change, fix, finish, give — something happens to the thing.

Basic pattern:

• Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + (Result/Direction/Location/Benefactive) + (了)

Why use 把? Because your focus is not just “do an action,” but “do something to this specific thing.”

High-frequency verbs that love 把

These verbs commonly appear in 把 sentences because they change location, state, or possession.

When should you use 把?

Use 把 when these conditions are met:

• The object is known/specific: 这本书、那扇门、我的手机、他昨天借的伞。
• You want to highlight the result/impact on the object: finished, moved, cleaned, turned off, given to someone.
• There’s usually a complement after the verb: resultative (完、好、掉), location (在/到…), or benefactive (给…、还给…).

Compare:

• 我做完作业了。 (neutral)
• 我把作业做完了。 (emphasizes what happened to 作业 — it’s done!)

有客人要来，快房间收拾干净。

他已经作业交给老师了。

Common complements after the verb

Resultative complements:

• 完 (finished): 把作业做完
• 好 (properly, well, ready): 把饭菜准备好
• 掉 (away, off): 把标签撕掉
• 上 (on, close): 把门关上

Directional/location:

• 在/到 someplace: 把包放在椅子上 / 把箱子搬到车里
• 起来 (away/up/tidy): 把衣服收起来

Benefactive/transfer:

• 借给、还给、交给: 把护照交给工作人员

Negatives, questions, and softening

• Negatives: use 没(有) to negate completed results.
  • 我没把门关上。 (I didn’t manage to close the door.)
• Imperatives/requests: use 别/不要 for “don’t,” and soften with 请, 一下, or 吧.
  • 别把包放在地上。 (Don’t put the bag on the floor.)
  • 请把窗户关一下吧。 (Please close the window, okay?)
• Questions: use 吗 or A-not-A on the verb.
  • 你把杯子洗干净了吗？
  • 你把灯关上了没有？

Mini drill: choose the better version

Pick the sentence that best fits the task and natural 把 usage.

Cultural and usage notes

• Politeness: Add 请, 一下, or 吧 to soften requests.
  • 请把门关一下吧。 (gentle, polite)
• Efficiency and clarity: In busy settings (restaurants, offices), 把 helps give quick, clear instructions about objects.
  • 麻烦把包放到柜子里。 (Please put the bag in the locker.)
• Specificity matters: If the object is vague or unknown (like “something”), avoid 把.
  • 我买了东西。 (not 我把东西买了 in most contexts)

Practice noticing when a sentence cares about the object’s final state. If yes — it’s a great moment for 把.

我把看了这本书。 → 我把这本书看了。 把后面必须直接跟宾语，然后是动词和结果/时态信息。 请把关门。 → 请把门关上。 动词需要结果/方向成分：关上、关好等。 我不把作业做完了。 → 我没把作业做完。 否定完成结果用没(有)，不用不。

Quick recap

• Structure: S + 把 + O + V + (结果/方向/地点/给…) + (了)
• Use 把 when the object is specific and the action changes its state, location, or ownership.
• Complements like 完、好、掉、上、起来、在/到、借给 make 把 natural.
• Negate with 没(有)，soften requests with 请/一下/吧.

Keep listening for 把 in real conversations. The more you notice how native speakers “make things happen” to objects, the easier it gets to choose 把 naturally. 加油！